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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24712075">there had been no greater fortune</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/drelfina/pseuds/drelfina'>drelfina</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Reckoning: Symbol of Subjugation Inspired [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, I made myself cry over this, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Multi, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tobirama Dies, have some incredibly east asian style talk, i made evocates cry over this, inspired by a symbol of subjugation, spoilers only if you hadn't read the rest of the fic that inspired this, the author cannot be held responsible for emotional damages, the love of a lifetime</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 11:09:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,387</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24712075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/drelfina/pseuds/drelfina</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>their love had been the love of a lifetime. </p><p>Lifetimes have to end .</p><hr/><p>based on the <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/21368578/chapters/59702863#workskin">final chapter of a symbol of subjugation</a></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Senju Hashirama/Uzumaki Mito, Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara, Senju Touka/Uchiha Hikaku/Uchiha Izuna, uchiha kagami/uchiha ofc</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Reckoning: Symbol of Subjugation Inspired [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1649584</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>228</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>there had been no greater fortune</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/evocates/gifts">evocates</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/21368578">a symbol of subjugation</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/evocates/pseuds/evocates">evocates</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>alternate title: 一生所爱 the love of a lifetime</p><p>or</p><p> </p><p>  <i>I knew i was born to meet you</i></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I'm leaving," Tobirama said, and Madara's face, dear and beloved, was right there.</p><p>Matatabi was right next to him, his head, her electric crackle familiar and warm - and he was already feeling cold. </p><p>But he reached up to Madara anyway, curling his fingers against Madara's temple. </p><p>"Don't," Tobirama said. Don't what? </p><p>Don't... </p><p>He smiled, and he could just about make out with Madara's seals, and Matatabi's view, the way Madara was trying to make himself smile.</p><p>He could feel his cheeks shift, under his palm. </p><p>"Live for me, Goshujin-sama," Tobirama said, and he could feel his chest move. </p><p>Breathing was.... such a quiet, tiresome chore. </p><p>But it was done, everything was done, and in place; everyone knew what they had to do. </p><p>He shifted, slid his fingers one last time into Madara's hair. </p><p>It was so soft, and he could still feel that. </p><p>Thumb against the edge of his eye and - </p><p>Madara made a sound - animal and wounded, and he pressed his cheek against Tobirama's palm, even as he curled his hand, broad, familiar, calloused and perfect, against Tobirama's wrist. </p><p>He could feel his hearth fire, hot and so close, warming him for the last time. </p><p>"Tobirama," Madara said, and his smile looked cracked, voice hoarse. "I -" </p><p>"Don't. You promised," Tobirama said. Because Madara had. Madara had used his sharingan, and he'd <i>promised.</i> "Live for me, for everything I will miss." </p><p>Madara leaned in, closer, till all Matatabi saw was his hair, and the seals, unfocused. </p><p>It didn't matter. </p><p>Tobirama didn't need those seals to know what Madara felt like, beloved and loving, his features so close. </p><p>He didn't need to see Madara's expression, devastated and shattered and know it was himself causing it. </p><p>Madara leaned in, close enough that Tobirama's elbow folded gently down against the bed, one last consideration from his eternally considerate, ever attentive husband, and beloved, familiar lips touched his own. </p><p>He could taste salt. </p><p>"I'll wait," Tobirama said, soft, against Madara's mouth. "I'll wait for you, however long it takes. And -" </p><p>"Tobirama, don't - stop talking." </p><p>"I want to wait a thousand years for you," Tobirama. </p><p>"You. You terrible -" </p><p>"Are the last words you want to say to me a curse?" Tobirama, and Madara laughed, like the crack of a dying fire, the pop of the last green branch. </p><p>"Yome yo," Madara said, voice wavering, but still so deep, so warm, against Tobirama's body, against his chakra, which had now faded to just him, and Madara alone. "You would curse me to live a thousand years without you by my side." </p><p>Tobirama smiled, thumb brushing against the edge of Madara's eye, leaving a trembling wet streak. </p><p>"Such a trial. I apologise," Tobirama whispered. </p><p>"In this life, in <i>my</i> life," Madara said, voice cracking finally, "there had been no greater fortune than to have you by my side." </p><p>Hot wet dripped down on Tobirama's other cheek. But it was barely felt, and Tobirama knew. Knew it was the end. </p><p>"I know I was born," Tobirama murmured with his last breath, "to meet you. Goshujin-sama." </p><p>A thousand trials and a thousand more, Tobirama would have borne, because it had brought him to Madara's side. </p><p>That was enough.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Tobirama's chakra faded like an ember finally glowing its last, and just like an ember, Madara pushed to keep sensing it, and he kept thinking he could feel it. </p><p>Until Matatabi started a wail - eerie and high, too sustained for such a tiny body, and Madara knew. </p><p>There was no more glow to be seen.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Kagami was expecting it, had known it was coming, because Sensei had insisted on bidding them all farewell. </p><p>But then. </p><p>Hakuun's hand suddenly tightened on his, bones almost grinding together. </p><p>And the Clan Head's <i>shriek</i> cracked the night like a whip. </p><p>All over the Uchiha compound, Kagami felt people slamming awake, and he thought he could hear the sounds of doors being shoved open, the rustling of clothes and the slapping of sandals against wood, against tile. </p><p>And to the counterpoint of Matatabi's accompanying wail, Kagami could feel the bright fire-points of every Uchiha's chakra start racing towards the Clan Head's House. </p><p>"<i>Kaachan-!</i>" </p><p>All around him, Kagami heard-felt the wails of his in-laws, his own Husband suddenly collapsing against him, and Hakuun was so strong, had always been so strong, and suddenly all he could sense was her, her bright raging fire against his senses. </p><p>Noise was around him, now, the pressing of chakra of everyone, mixing and melding and it was nothing but Uchiha, Uchiha, <i>Uchiha</i> fire. </p><p>But the one strongest blue-white. </p><p>Was gone.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>It was night, like almost any other night - </p><p>Except Kurama bolted upright, huge paws slamming into Hashirama's gut and throat, and Hashirama might have thrown him off but. </p><p>He started to keen. </p><p>Sharp and high and <i>terrible</i>, and Hashirama turned. </p><p>Mito's eyes were open, but unfocused. </p><p>And Hashirama knew. </p><p>"Madara," he said, "<i>Madara</i> -" </p><p>And they both got up, the doors just peeling away from the runners, and neither of them bothered with shoes. </p><p>Kurama's yipping eerie wail kept ringing in his ears, until he realised it wasn't Kurama anymore, but <i>Matatabi</i>, and the human scream was no one but Madara's.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>All the way in the Senju's compound, suddenly Touka's bed cracked. </p><p>No. </p><p>It tore apart, fibers ripping apart and growing terrible, horrible furry root-like tendrils and Hikaku sat up. </p><p>"Husband," he said, and Touka was shoving the blankets upright, and Izuna rolling out of her way. </p><p>"The Uchiha," she said, because there was no reason for cloth to suddenly sprout roots if it wasn't Hashirama, and if it was Hashirama, there could be only one reason, right now, at this time for this. </p><p>"Go," Izuna said, getting out of her way as she reached for a yukata. "I'll. I'll. Hikaku-" </p><p>"You can help me up," Hikaku said, so that Izuna could go round to his side, and leave it free for Touka to bolt out of the door. </p><p>They'd be with her, soon enough.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Sometimes immediately after waking, Hikaku's legs wouldn't obey him; they would cramp up and have him completely unable to get to his feet. It was why they had a raised platform rather than the traditional futon, if only because it was easier for him to pull himself to the edge and swing his legs over and sit up while waiting for them to fucking cooperate. </p><p>But right now, in this time, at this moment, there was no real time for them to wait for Hikaku's legs to <i>remember</i> that they existed and weren't in, however many years ago, agony. </p><p>"You should go first," Hikaku grit out. "Touka-" </p><p>"Touka will need <i>us</i>," Izuna said, and instead crouched down by Hikaku's side, and pushed chakra, warm and soothing, into Hikaku's thighs just above his knees. </p><p>"So you should go <i>first</i>." </p><p>"I'm not leaving you," Izuna said. </p><p>He wasn't going to. He couldn't... </p><p>Touka would be there, and he wasn't going to say it but. </p><p><i>Niisan</i> would need him, because Aniue was <i>gone</i>. </p><p>There was no reason otherwise for their bedding to be writhing in weird post-death, tendrils shrivelling with Hashirama's fading attention, and everyone knew that the moment was arriving. </p><p>He should have been in the Uchiha compound the whole last week. He should have been. But It had been so painful to see how faded Aniue had looked, and how Madara's facade of cheer was so fake it hurt for him to see. </p><p>And now Aniue had finally gone, Madara would crack, and Izuna would need to be there for his brother. </p><p>And for that. </p><p>For that. </p><p>He needed his wife and his husband both, to be there, to keep his feet on the ground and his mind grounded in the here and now, because if he let himself think. </p><p>Let himself - </p><p>"Izuna," Hikaku said, and hands were catching on Izuna's cheeks, warm palms on either side, mirroring his own hands on Hikaku's calves. </p><p>"Izuna. Breathe. Breathe with me." </p><p>Izuna looked up into Hikaku's eyes, and between one blink and the next, everything was softened and crimson on the edges. </p><p>"It'll be fine," Hikaku said, soft, hypnotic. "It'll be fine. I can walk now, we can go." </p><p>It would be fine, he agreed. </p><p>It would be fine. Hikaku had all their memories after all, and all Izuna had to do was take care of Niisan.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>written 1st  March 2020. that's how long i'd been sitting on it you guys.</p><hr/><p>whoops in terms of details uh, Madara is actually not clan head at this point: it should be his daughter Hakuun. But i'll just say that it's a habit that none of the Uchiha really can break out of - Madara is <i>the</i> Clan Head, and <i>the</i> Hokage. </p><p>(this is also the event that sakumo was not in the village for, and the event that had Madara abruptly resign from Hokage.)</p><p>and the next piece will at least time skip to someone <i>else</i> so you're all gonna just have to guess who is up next.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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